


The Grotto

by Ironicgeeness



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-12 05:03:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20988986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ironicgeeness/pseuds/Ironicgeeness
Summary: When Javert hears about the Monsieur Le Maire's 'secret' grotto; he jumps to conclusions and goes to investigate.





	The Grotto

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anichariz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anichariz/gifts).

> Happy 3rd Anniversary Sewerchat!! 
> 
> I am sorry this is so rushed and hardly fulfills the prompts. Please do not hate me

Javert had only been in Montreuil a week whenever he first heard of the stories about the town mayor. The rumours consisted about how generous and courageous he was. How he entered the town and saved people from a burning building. But it was not his bravery or generosity which peaked the Inspector's attention, it was the rumours surrounding the Mayor's Grotto, his secret lair which the people constantly talked about. What was in that room? No one knew. Or those who were sad they were disappointed but the Mayor who was considerably wealthy and influential could easily pay people to keep quiet. With these rumours of secret lairs and the Mayor's success; Javert quickly began to grow suspicious of the town's best Mayor. He pondered if his success but humble lifestyle could be down to the Mayor being in a cult. And with a lot of consideration, the Inspector concluded that freemasonry would be the cult of this mayor. Monsieur Madeleine was a Freemason in disguise. He was not only a successful business owner but extremely charitable and deeply religious. To Javert, the key fit even with the fact that Freemasonry was meant to be illegal in France.  
Javert needed to get into that room, he needed to see Valjean’s grotto to gather hard evidence of his suspicions. But the Inspector needed a plan to get in. He could not ask him what the room holds like the civilians did. This is because the Mayor did not exactly like the Inspector’s presence, he seemed cold and distant whenever he was near. He would make excuses to leave. Javert did not know if it his authority that made him uncomfortable or if there was more criminalizing issues which are making him uncomfortable. 

Javert’s plan was to wait until the Mayor went to his factory for the day, go to his house and pretend he did not know he was away yet. He would tell the Sister who looks after his house that the Mayor had told him that there was a package in his house for him. Then when he would get there; he would go to the grotto and find what lurks in the room. He did not know much about the cult of the Freemasons but he was sure he would find something that would point to them.  
Much to the Inspector’s own surprise, his far fetched plan worked. The inspector noted that the Mayor should perhaps getting security than a nun as the sister just let him in with no questions. His house was incredibly humble for a man who was incredibly wealthy. He had give most of the property which he was naturally given as Mayor to the church to build a hospital. So he instead lived in a tiny quaters where the hospital used to be. Javert heard people complaining about this decision but Javert felt like he would do the same. The small quarters would be easily maintained and warmed. To Javert it was a logical move.  
Then he entered the ‘grotto’ Javert was surprised to not find a Masonic lair or any dead bodies or ritualistic symbols. The room was just as humble and plain as the rest of the house, plain except for the silver candlesticks that stood proudly on the mantelpiece. Javert picked them up to test the weight of them. There was one man he always thought of when he saw a good pair of quality candlestick; a man from his past, a prisoner who got away. But the Mayor couldn’t have any relation to this convict. There so countless of silver candlesticks that are identical. 

“Hello Inspector, would you care for some tea? Coffee? Wine? Since you are making yourself at home it seems”; the familiar voice made Javert snap around, candlesticks still in hand. The Inspector was staring right into the face of the suspect himself, “I forgot my watch and Sister Simplice said that someone came storming in asking about a parcel, why are you here, Inspector? In my Room?” The man had his hands on his hips but looks amused. Javert was left speechless which hardly ever happened. He was caught and there was no escape. He set the candlesticks back down on the mantle staring at the familiar looking man.  
“Monsieur Le Maire! Did you not leave for your factory this morning?” The inspector was frantically grasping at an excuse. “I was sent to your home as I tipped off that some ruffian was going to try and rob you!” The excuse was poor and the Inspector knew it.  
“A ruffian? Rob me? Of what exactly Inspector. I own nothing to steal. Except for these beautiful candlesticks but they are not worth that much.”  
“Ok, monsieur, you have caught me. I guess I will ask you outright. Are you, Monsieur Madeleine”, Javert paused dramatically, “a Freemason?”  
The look on the Mayor’s face was something that the Inspector would never be able to forget. He looked like he was about to burst out laughing. “A Freemason?! Oh goodness no! I have no part in any Freemasons!  
“So you are not a Freemason?” Javert asked the man who was now gazing at the candlesticks on the mantle.  
“Of course not, Inspector! What a peculiar conclusion to come to.”  
“It’s not peculiar, you are so mysterious” the Inspector muttered under his breath but the Mayor seemingly did not hear him.  
“So tell me, why did you not come and ask me if you thought I was a Freemason? Why did you have to conduct this whole plot to get into my home? Does this room fascinate you, Inspector? Why does this room peak everyone's curiosity?"  
Javert had the impression that this man was teasing him, taunting him but he could not be sure; “well… I thought perhaps that you would not be allowed to speak about being a member and in this room you kept your Freemason chains. Chains of a different nature to the ones you are wearing. I did question, there is not even a Masonic hall in Montreuil however it may be so secret that you hold the meetings in this very room! I heard the rumours around town about your grotto and I knew that you were not into some satanic cult so it must be the Freemasons. It also explains your great wealth and success. Your generosity”  
“I am generous because there is so much poverty and I do not need wealth. I am only successful because God was kind to me. Goodness knows why, Inspector. Once a man gave me all he had so I decided that I have to give all I have to help those who cannot help themselves.” The Mayor took a seat and indicated the Inspector to do so. “Since you are here now, Inspector, can I tempt you to stay a while? We can talk about the problems in this town. I have never really got to know our newest Inspector and I would like to.” Javert could do nothing but oblige. 

They conversed for hours, speaking of all kinds of things. The Inspector noted how this man seemed more relaxed in his own house, alone with him. When they had met in public, he was much more tense and on else. Before either of them knew it, it was late in the afternoon and the Inspector had done none of the work he has set himself for the day. He was too intrigued by this man, by his stories, by his ideals.  
The Mayor must have forgot that he was about to leave for work as he had no notion of leaving to go and neither did Javert go to work. This was the first time he was ever absent but yet the thought of him perhaps getting in trouble did not cross his mind.  
It was late into the evening when he finally had to leave. He took dinner there and then said goodbye with the promise of coming back soon to 'do it again'.

The two men found themselves spending a lot of time with each other after that evening. Javert would frequently visit the house for supper. It was also simple. Bread and cheese or bread and broth but he They had a lot of differing opinions on a lot of topics which they talked about but they did not stop them from discussing them.  
The Mayor would sometimes start talking about his past life but would stop. A couple of times he would talk at length about the late Bishop Myriel, an old generous bishop whom he used to be acquainted with. The name rung a bell but the Inspector had begun to trust the man more so he did not question it. Javert noted that even though he trusted the Monsieur Madeleine that he was sure that he would be able to get away with murder. 

It should not have surprised the Inspector then with all the clues that the Mayor was dropping when he told him of his real identity.  
“I cannot hide the truth from you anymore, Inspector Javert” the Mayor said suddenly one night in the middle showing him his collection of seeds. The Inspector thought that he was going to confess that he was in fact always in the Freemasons after all.  
“I had expected that you had already figured it out but perhaps you need to hear it. Do you know who I am, Inspector?” The man began to unbutton his shirt much to Javert’s surprise, what lay there was not smooth like other chests would be but scars, a brand. A brand which was instantly recognizable. This was not a Freemason nor a mayor. The man in front of him was an ex convict but not any old ex convict. This was 24601, the one who got away. Right in front of him. For years, Javert had been on the hunt for him. And he was talking to him on a daily basis yet the Inspector did not know. 24601 knew exactly who he was yet he said nothing.  
Javert could not find any words to say, he was utterly speechless but then just got up and left without saying a word. He was not going to address it right then. He could not bring himself to do it. So the Inspector who was once a slave to the law left and let this convict walk free. 

The bombshell made Javert question everything. Forgiveness, redemption but most importantly was the questions about his own ability. How could he be so blind by this man. Jean Valjean, as he was once known, had been basically telling the Inspector who he was. Looking back, it was obvious. Bishop Myriel was the man who reportedly gave the convict the candlesticks. The candlesticks which stood proudly in his grotto. The candlesticks that Javert looked at so many time. He was disgusted with himself. How could he not spot it sooner? What kind of inspector was he?   
But despite being who the Mayor was, Javert could not turn him in. He sat at his desk attempting to write a letter to inform the Prefecture in Paris of the discovery however every time he started to write, he could not. He instead blamed himself for not figuring it out. Letters that were meant to inform that he was going to arrest him, yet it turned out to be a resignation letter but yet he could also not send it. He could not confess that he was a failure. So he tried to put the whole situation and to move on.   
Javert knew he could go and arrest the ex convict at once but he never did. He passed him in the street and pretending he did not know. He was doing everything he was trained not to do. He was letting this man off but he had to do more. 

It was past eight in the morning and Javert was waiting in the Mayor’s grotto, waiting on him. Just like that first day. He looked at the candlesticks which should have gave him away at the beginning. And just like the first day, the mayor came up behind him. “Inspector, what are you doing here? Come to arrest me? Go ahead.”  
But instead of doing what he said, Javert wrapped his arms around this man, his friend. “Do not fret, I’ll tell no one… what an excuse to wriggle out of being a cultist. Being a convict.” He knew it was not an excuse, he believed that this man was Jean Valjean but the lie was easier to live with. And with this, he buried his head in this man’s surprising squishy yet hard chest in what could be called his first ever embrace, the first embrace of many.  
The Mayor's secret grotto soon became the Mayor's and the Inspector's secret grotto and the civilians soon spoke of a different kind of rumour about that room but the two men did not seem to mind. Together they were home. 


End file.
